Archives for February 2019

It pisses me off to still see the sales floor referring to Internet customers and forms from the website as “Internet Department” things. When you still hear sales agents say “oh, that’s the Internet department” you know we have a problem.

C’mon, people aren’t searching for your store in Alta Vista using a Netscape browser – things have evolved over the last two decades! Why do we still have this wall between the Internet department and the showroom floor? You do realize you’re much more on the same team than those jerks across the other wall in the service department. Those jackasses are literally raising labor rates on you and making sure every car has a fresh set of wipers. You’d think they’d check the batteries on the front line from time to time.

Inner-departmental things haven’t evolved much over the past 20 years. It isn’t your fault. It is your vendors’ fault.

It’s a new year, and that means we’re all thinking about how to get the best marketing ROI in 2019. To start, we have to assess- what’s been working and what hasn’t? What stays for another year, and what needs to go?

It’s vital to assess the value of all your marketing efforts. But the assessment itself is difficult. Many people fall into a few different traps:

Using the same metrics for every tool

Measuring outcomes that aren’t aligned with your goals

Getting stuck in an attribution war

Let’s dive into each of these problems and then map out some strategies for precise marketing assessment so you can maximize your marketing spend in 2019.

Using the same metrics for every tool

When you have tools that ostensibly do the same thing, it’s tempting to measure them the same way and think of the outcome as a zero-sum game: for example, all my lead capture tools should be measured by how many leads they capture, and the one that captures the most is the winner. But if you take a closer look, you’ll find that even tools with similar goals have important differences. And that means using the same metrics to assess their value doesn’t always work. [Read more…]

Anyone love their phone company? If you are like me, there is nothing I abhor more than needing to call them. Every time I call, I have to do a bit of meditational breathing and mentally prepare myself for what will inevitably be hours of frustration. Not only will there be excessive hold times involved, but I will also be bounced from department to department, left dealing with several different people and having to repeat my issue over and over again. If I’m not disconnected along the way, it feels like victory. Sound familiar?

Now, compare this to the Apple store experience. I make an appointment online, walk into the store at my designated time and get assigned an Apple Genius who will help me every step of the way. Not only do they stay by my side, but they are empowered to answer questions and even ring me up right there on their iPhone when I am ready to transact.

And so there it is — the world we live in, shifting between these two contrasted experiences. And the more Apple-like the world gets, the more we are unwilling to deal with extended wait times and poor customer service.

What would happen if the phone company empowered their frontline employees to help with all of the situations they may be faced with? Think of the minutes a customer spends on hold before resharing the same story 2, 3, 4+ times; or the minutes employees waste transferring people around and listening to the same stories their colleagues have already heard. Would one person be more efficient? Would customers stop dreading the experience and — dare I say — even find it enjoyable?

This is happening within the automotive retail sector as we speak. Progressive dealers around the country are deploying technology and empowering their sales teams to streamline the entire process. And while many dealerships refuse to change, most sit somewhere in between — trying to enhance the experience, but without the tools or buy-in to make it stick. [Read more…]

Premium Sponsor

View attachment 4063 I'm a two-timing SOB again. Unlike last time I don't have to worry about my DealerRefresh behavior like I did when working for a publicly traded company. This time, I'm the boss! FRIKINtech is the name of my company and it is was founded with some friends. Over... FRIKINtech: Alex's new role […]

Starting in May of this year, off-program paid search providers will no longer be PAP eligible under the FCA program. My question is - Who is the best FCA Certified vendor if we decide to switch and why? Why is it... Best FCA Certified Digital SEM Vendor Near Me?

One of the (very) few things I learned as a product manager for an Agile software development tech company was how to write "stories." Product ideas start in the backlog with a simple story; the "simple" part was what caught my attention (by necessity ). I enjoyed thinking and starting the... Digital Retailing: I want...

*If there is a thread out there that is similar to this please send me the link* Not looking to get into a long draw out discussion about Digital Retailing (DR). I personally think it scares your customers away but that is just my stubborn self. All I really want to know is five things […]

Marketing attribution has been a hot topic for several years now, especially with the increasing availability of technology and metrics that can show marketers almost every step in a customer’s journey. Greater and deeper visibility into these touchpoints has... It's Customer Valuation, not Attribution

Looking in the Austin, TX area for someone familiar with automotive dealerships and management. This is a commissioned outside sales job with a base salary and car allowance. Also, need detail-oriented individual for account management. www.nuvinair.com... Unique Opportunity with startup company

Editors

Jeff Kershner

I’m the founder of DealerRefresh. I got my start in the dealer business when I was 18. From there I've worked throughout several departments within fixed to variable ops. Whether it’s managing the desk, perfecting sales process or studying online marketing and media trends, I absolutely love this business and the challenges it brings. On top of keeping up with DealerRefresh, I consult with dealerships and key industry businesses. My passion has been and continues to be helping dealers leverage new media to sell and improve customer service.

Alex Snyder

2019 marks Alex's 30th year in the car business. In that time he has had a front-row seat for the rise of the Internet and has been working to bring the online and offline dealership experience closer. Whether you knew him from his life at Checkered Flag or his years with Dealer.com/DealerTrack/Cox Alex has remained an opinionated DealerRefresh contributor who enjoys nothing more than to poke at the unsaid truths in our industry. He also helped found FRIKINtech.